3rd Latin American/Caribbean (LAC) Technical Meeting on STD, HIV-AIDS & Disability
August 1st and 2nd, 2008
City of Mexico
Organized by the Inter-American Institute on Disability and Inclusive Development (IIDI) and the World Bank With support from the National Council to Prevent Discrimination (CONAPRED, Mexico), the Central American Social Integration System (SISCA), the National Program of STI and AIDS (Brazil) and the Pan American Health Organization

Introduction
People with disability have often been and remained excluded from HIV prevention as well as AIDS care efforts as a result of an aggregation of various taboos and coordination miss opportunities. On one hand, it is often presumed that people with disability are not sexually active and at no risk of infection. Simultaneously, the fact that they have less access to education and social opportunities prevents them from being in touch with preventive information and resources. On the other hand, the organizations of people with disability are generally unknown and themselves unaware of the health and prevention policy making and programming opportunities.

The result of all this is that the exposure of men and women with disabilities to the main risk factors of HIV-AIDS are higher compared to non-disabled population. At the same time, while people living with AIDS have a higher survival rate due to medical advances, a frequent consequence is that there are an increasing number of disabilities (mainly physical and sensorial limitations) secondary to the disease itself or its pharmacologic treatment, indicating emerging needs and services to respond and coordinate.

Over the past two years, sponsored by the World Bank, the Inter-American Institute on Disability and Inclusive Development (IIDI), in collaboration with several international organizations working in the HIV-AIDS and Disability areas has organized two Technical Meetings (Chile 2006 and Argentina 2007) on STDs, HIV-AIDS and Disability. The main purpose of these meetings has been to facilitate knowledge shearing amongst specialists and encourage policy development to address the increasing interrelation amongst AIDS and Disability.

The main axes of this work have been on

a. Documenting the interface between aids and disability and compiling evidence of emerging needs and responses

b. Identifying opportunities for active collaboration between organizations working in the AIDS and the inclusion fields, to optimise use of existing resources and promote inter-institutional approaches to inclusive aids prevention and rehabilitation services delivery to people living with AIDS.

In 2008, with the support of CONAPRED (in Spanish Consejo Nacional para Prevenir la Discriminación, México), the World Bank and PAHO-WHO the 3rd Technical Meeting will be held in Mexico, on August 1-2, to coincide with the AIDS International Conference (August 3-8, 2008). It will continue working on recommendations for crosscutting and inclusive approaches HIV-AIDS Prevention and Care.

Objectives
The 3rd Experts Meeting on STDs, HIV-AIDS and Disability, seeks to advance the discussion on “Evidence-based Research on the inter connections between AIDS and Disability” and on “Care for people living with AIDS and Disabilities: effective approaches and services”.

Expected Outcomes
The expected outcomes of the meeting are:

o Review of new developments in LAC National AIDS Programs;
o Update bibliographical and research review on the topic;
o Review of new materials and initiatives of international agencies, Civil Society and Academia;
o Review of new content and tools for the LAC HIV-AIDS site on the issue;
o Development of a new set of recommendations for a cross-cutting and inclusive approaches in the area of STD, HIV-AIDS Prevention and Care, with special focus in “Monitoring & Evaluation and Evidence-based Research and on Care Attention for people living with AIDS and Disabilities, as a consequence of the treatment;
o Establishment of a LAC Permanent Working Group, with interagency involvement, south-to-south knowledge sharing and a joint research and implementation agenda;

Participants: Program Managers, Researchers, Practitioner and AIDS and Disability specialists from Latin American and the Caribbean

PROGRAM
Friday August 1st
08.30 Registration
09.00 Opening
09.30 Challenges on AIDS Prevention and Care and Disability
10. 00 Conclusions from the 1st Brazilian and Central American Forums on AIDS and Disability – Discussion
11.00 Coffee
11.30 Services for people living with HIV AIDS and Disabilities
12.30 Lunch
14.00 Working groups
16.30 Plenary
17.00 Closure

Saturday August 2nd
09.00 AIDS and Disability: from taboo to collaboration
09.30 Implementation experiences / Questions and answers
10.30 Coffee
11.00 Emerging topics
o Services development (diagnosis, care, prevention)
o Research and evidences: people living with aids and disabilities secondary to the disease itself or its pharmacological treatment
o Vulnerability of PWD to STI and AIDS
o Discussion
12.30 Lunch and meeting with Ministries of Health and Education*

o “Satellite Session on AIDS and Disability”, organized by Disabled People International (DPI). August 5th 7:00 to 8.30 am (in English)
o “AIDS and Disability: a relationship to be taken into account”, organized by the Inter American Institute on Disability and Inclusive Development (IIDI) August 5th 6:30 to 8:30pm (in Spanish)
o “AIDS and Disability: a relationship to be taken into account”, Poster session, (daily, August 3-8) between 12:00-14:00h

Unfortunately, we have not resources to cover flight or other expenses for participants. We hope that participants can gather support from their organizations to travel to Mexico. Please confirm ASAP your willingness to participate. Your participation is extremely important to us and to ensure the inclusion of disability issues amongst the STD and HIV-AIDS agenda in the Latin American and Caribbean Region.

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